RAILWAY STATIONS STILL VULNERABLE AFTER EIGHT YEARS OF 26/11 ATTACK

Mumbai, 26/11/2016 (GPN) : Commuters at Andheri railway station witnessed a security scare a day before the eighth anniversary of the 26/11 terror attacks, after a sports utility vehicle (SUV) drove on to platform 6 on Friday afternoon.

Railway police officials said the vehicle (MH06-AF-7569) belonged to a private company.

They added that the driver seemed confused and drove on to the platform accidentally.

The Government Railway Police (GRP) said the car was driven by Rajesh Kumar Yadav, 36, who works as a driver for the company. He was returning after dropping his boss at the airport. Officials said Yadav, in his statement, claimed that he was tired and could not find his way as the roads were crowded.

The police rushed to monitor the potential threat only after people gathered around the vehicle. Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel took Yadav into custody and checked his vehicle.

RPF personnel said there was a barricade around the platform, where the construction of tracks to extend the harbour line was ongoing. This confused Yadav.

“The level of platform and the road is the same, owing to the ongoing work. Hence, he ended up on the platform. However, he will be questioned thoroughly,” said Deepak Devraj, DCP (GRP).

Yadav underwent medical examination at Cooper Hospital, after which he was detained. Officials confiscated the vehicle for further inspection.

“Owing to the construction, we removed the gate near platform 6 to allow construction material to be carried through easily. However, following this, we might put up barricades to obstruct unwanted entries,” said Mukul Jain, divisional railway manager Western Railway (Mumbai division).

A source stated that the man was booked by RPF, but we are still waiting an official confirmation. At the moment, it is not clear if the person in question was simply confused and drove onto the station on purpose.